65' Substitution

The Whites, who were forced to field a number of players short of full fitness, fell behind in the 6th minute when Liam Lawrence latched on to a half-cleared ball from Zat Knight and volleyed home from the edge of the area.

It was a poor start for Fulham who had failed to settle to the early pace of the game. That period of uncertainty came to an end on the quarter hour mark when, for the first time in the match, Fulham began to take control of possession.

Papa Bouba Diop came close to getting the all-important equaliser ham when on 20 minutes Luis Boa Morte ran on to McBride’s flick on a turned the ball across the face of goal. Only a sliding interception prevented the ball from getting through to Diop, who had to goal at his mercy.

Sunderland were looking at their most dangerous when in possession just in front of Fulham’s back line and the ease witch which they were able to advance beyond Fulham’s midfield must have caused some concern on the Fulham bench.

Fulham’s defence had a scare 38 minutes when Lawrence bundled his way past both Zat Knight and Ian Pearce before Dean Leacock’s covering challenge cleared the danger.

Papa Bouba Diop’s involvement ended on 39 minutes when he was replaced by Heidar Helguson. Despite displaying his usual touches of quality in the centre on the park, Diop was clearly lacking match sharpness. The substitution saw Fulham changed to a 4-4-2 system with John and Radzinski moving out to the wings.

Fulham got back on level terms in the 42nd minute when McBride flicked on a cross and Collins John managed to leap forward and head an awkward ball past Davis.

A moment of confusion in the Black Cats’ defence on 47 minutes gave Zat Knight the opportunity to shoot on goal. Unfortunately the ball arrived on his left foot and the big defender sliced wide. Collins John was next to try his luck as he tested Davis’ reactions twice.

Sunderland were reduced to ten men on 57 minutes when Heidar Helguson was brought down by Steven Caldwell after Ian’s Pearce’s through ball had set the Icelandic striker clean through. Referee Gallagher had no option but to show the defender a straight red card.

Undeterred, Sunderland pressed up the pitch and with two consecutive free kicks had Fulham’s defence in trouble. However, the Whites rode the storm and broke immediately with pace and in numbers. Luis Boa Morte fed the ball to Helguson, who had drifted to the left wing. The striker advanced a few paces before curling a cross with the outside of his foot onto the head of John who headed home.

Even though Fulham had taken the lead, the match was far from over as, even with ten men, Sunderland were attacking with real intent. Mick McCarthy made a triple substitution on 63 minutes and that seemed give his side fresh impetus. Hoping to take advantage of Fulham’s recent poor defensive record, the visitors continued to pump awkward deliveries into the Fulham area. It was certainly a tactic worth pursuing considering the man disadvantage.

Fulham were also soon reduced to ten men when Steed Malbranque was on the receiving end of a high, studs up tackle from Tommy Miller. The Sunderland player caught the Fulham man just above the knee and with Fulham having made all three substitutions, there was no alternative but to play on with ten on the field.

However, the final push from Sunderland failed to materialise as Fulham quite comfortable held out for the closing few minutes.